Apparatus for applying bottle collars



Dec. 26, 1950 w. WOLFORD APPARATUS FOR APPLYING BOTTLE COLLARS Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 11, 1947 INVENTOR. WALTER L. WOLFORD ATTORNEY.

Dec. 26, 1950 w. L. WOLFORD I 2,535,473

APPARATUS FOR APPLYING BOTTLE COLLARS I Filed Oct. 11, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.

INVENTOR. WALTER L. WOLFORD A TTORNE) 'ing, bottlecollars to the necks of bottles.

Patented Dec. 26, 1950 APPARATUS FOR APPLYING BOTTLE COLLARS Walter L. Wolford, Oakland, Calif., assignor to Clorox Chemical 00., Oakland, Calif., a corpov ration of Delaware ApplicationOctobcr,11, 1947, Serial N0, 779,379 I (Cl. 216-61) *7 Claims.

1 This invention. relates to apparatus for apply- The expression bottle collars, as used herein refers to paper members shaped to encircle the neck portion of a. bottle and employed in merchandising to carry printed information, such as advertising or other data pertaining, to the contents of the bottle or other products of the manufacturer of the contents.

Bottles are often. packaged in cases or cartons of a dozen more or less, depending on the size of" thebottles, for distribution, to retail merchants by whom they are sold to the consumer one or two at a time. The best time to apply paper collars to the bottles is after they have been placed in cases and just before the cases are closed. At this time, the relatively fragile collar member is subjected to a minimum of handling and is best assured of reaching the consumer in a fresh and unmussed condition. Applying the collars at this time presents considerable diniculty'because the cased bottles are generally moving; along a conveyor and as each case may contain a dozen bottles the manual application of collars requires dexterity and speed that is impractical under average production rates with modern bottling and casing machinery. Furthermore, the bottles are usually separated in cases by cellular dividing structures which interferewith easy access to the bottle neck portions specific objects and advantages of the invention and. the manner in which they are attained are setxforth in the following specification.

The invention will. be. described, herein by reference to a particular type. of bottle commonly used for, the distribution of' household, bleaches and detergents. and; a specific shape of bottle collar designed, for. this type of, bottle; is illustrated. It will-be apparent. from. the description,

however, that the invention is readily applicable to, use with other bottles and other collars than those. herein. specifically shown and described.

In the drawings: Fig.1 is an isometric View of. a transfer; frame whichforms-a part of. the apparatus of the pres ent; invention 2. Fig. 2 is a similar view of a rack which also forms a part of the apparatus Fig. 3 is an enlarged isometric view of on section of the transfer frame removed therefrom; Fig. 4 is a plan view of a bottle collar in flat form before it is appliedto a bottle;

Fig. 5 is a top plan. view of a bottle with the collar applied; i

v Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the same bottle with the collar applied";

Fig. 7 is an elevation at right angles to Fig; 6

of the same bottle and collar;

Fig. 8' is an enlarged fragmentary view of" a portion of the transfer frame shown in Figi'l and a portion of the rack shown in Fig. 2 with the transfer frame in' position to descend upon the rack and receive 'a bottle collar stacked thereon; 1

Fig. 9 is a view like Fig. 8 but with the transfer frame fragment shown in section and shown as descending over the rack;

Fig. 10 is asimilar view-showing the transfer frame lifted from the rack and holding a. bottle collar;

Fig. 11' shows the'transfer frame positioned over a bottle in a case and ready to descend thereupon Fig. 12. shows'the' transfer frame being removed from the cased'bottle after having deposited. the

'bottle collarthereon; and

Fig. 13 shows the upper: portion of the bottle in elevation with; the bottle; collar thereon.

The transfer frame illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings comprises a rectangular panel Hlof flat form substantially the size of a carton or case adapted to: receive; a. dozen. bottles. Handles H are provided adjacent: the opposite ends ofthe panel. l0 for: convenience; in handling it. The frame til; carries a plurality of. sets of bottle-col,- lar. transfer: units such as illustrated at l2- and one of which isshownin detail in Fig. 3. The collar transfer units shown in Fig. 3 comprise a block like member having a. vertical. central opening, i3 adapted. to; be: applied over the neck of a bottle and: also. carrying four downwardly depending resilient fingers l4 preferably formed .offlat spring wire or the like and each having a pad 1-5 of rubber or other resilient material attached. to its lowermost end; The fingers [4 preferably converge outwardly in pairs, asshown,

and may be secured to. the block-like. member inany suitable. manner. In the present. illustra- .tion they are shown. as, received in. grooves. formed in the. sidesof. the b1QGkr1ik& member so. that a single-piece. of fiat spring wire forced into. the

groove on each of two sides of the block provides the desired arrangement of four depending fingers disposed in outwardly diverging pairs. These units iii are secured to the under surface of the panel 50 of the transfer frame in spaced relation corresponding to the positions occupied by bottles contained in a case., The panel ID is provided with perforations I6 correspondingly spaced and registering with the openings l3 that extend through the units 12. The panel I!) is also preferably provided with four downwardly depending corner posts I! tapered inwardly and downwardly at their" outer edges to facilitate bringing the panel into position directly over a case filled with bottles so that when it is pressed downwardly the openings l3 in all of the units l2 will register with the necks of the bottles in the case.

Referring to Fig. 2 of the drawings, a rack for supporting stacks of bottle collars is shown as comprising a base panel IS with supports l9 thereon carrying vertical pins 2!! spaced and arranged in the same manner as the units l2 on the transfer panel.

In order to appreciate the manner in which the bottle collars are carried by the rack l8, reference will fir t be made to the nature of the collar as it is illustrated in Fi s. 4 to '7, inclu ive. In

Fig. 4 the bottle collar is shown as a generally rectangular shaped pa er blank 22, preferably having rounded corners, and having a central opening 23. The central opening 23 is elon ated transversely of the rectan ular blank and is. in the normal fiat position of the collar. of insufficient width to receive the neck of the bottle. However. when the blank is bent along its trans verse center line which intersects the opening 23,

the paper at the ed es of the opening 23 can spread due to its inherent resiliency sufficiently to receive the neck of the bottle. Fig. 6 illustrates the same bottle in side elevation and in this view the bottle shown at 24 is illustrated as having a screw cap 25 and. just below this can. an encircling rib or flange 26 which is common to many bottles of this general type. As the paper blank is drawn over the top and neck of the bottle, the edges of the opening 23 en age beneath the flange 26 and the collar is. therefore, securelv retained a ainst accidental removal from its proper position on the bottle. The thickness of the neck occu ying its position in the openin 23 retains the collar in a bent position wherein its opposite ends depend downwardly in the manner of a skirt surrounding the neck and sho lder portions of the bottle. It is, therefore, de irable that the blank of which the "collar is formed be bent slightlv along its central transverse axis in order that it may readily be applied to the top of the bottle. It is also desirable that it be held in this bent position during its application to bottles in case because of the fact that its ends wo ld otherwise contact the upper ed es of the dividers in t e cases and thus prevent its application to a bottle.

In order to stack the bottle collars on the rack shown in Fi 2 in ositions for reception by the transfer units carried by the frame shown in Fig. l, the pins Zll, which, as previously described, are spaced in accordance with the s acing of the bottles in a case, are of a size somewhat larger than the width of the opening 23 in the collars. Conseouently when a stack of collars. as shown at 22, for example. in Fig. 8. is spaced upon one of the pins 20, the pin passing through the openlugs 23 in the collars deforms the collars and causes them to bend downwardly from their center line and to assume somewhat the position that they are eventually to occupy upon the bottles.

Figs. 8 to 13, inclusive, illustrate a single transfer unit on the transfer frame to show successively the steps undertaken when a plurality of bottle collars are removed from the frame by the transfer unit and placed over the necks of bottles in a case. In Fig. 8 the transfer frame is being held above the rack with the bottle collars 22 in position thereon. In this figure, as well as in Fig. 3, the transfer unit I2 is shown as having an insert 28 on its side of soft rubberlike material which project slightly below its bottom and which may have an inherent tacky texture or may be treated with an adhesive of a nature that will lend to it a tacky surface disposed downwardly for contact with the topmost collar 22 on the pin 50. The unit [2 has such a tacky insert on two opposite sides disposed in positions to contact the collar at its central portion adjacent the ends of its opening 23. Consequently, when the transfer frame is brought downwardly over the rack as shown in Fig. 9 the tacky inserts will contact the topmost collar and raise it upwardly separating it from the stack on the pin 22 as illustrated in Fig. 10. Meanwhile the resilient fingers M have engaged the depending ends of the collar 22 and urge it to a slightly further folded position. This action of the resilient fingers serves to retain the collar in its pro-per position while it is placed on the bottle and also serves, by further deforming the collar, to widen the opening 23 to facilitate its removal from the post 2! The next position illustrated in Fig. 11 shows the transfer frame disposed over a bottle in a case 30 with the conventional partitions or dividing structure 3i separating the bottle from other bottles in the case. Fig. I2 illustrates the transfer frame after it has descended toward the case and is being withdrawn therefrom. The descent is sufficient to cause the edges of the opening 23 in the collars to engage beneath the flange 26 of the bottle neck so that the collar remains in position on the bottle causing the tacky inserts 28 to separate from the paper while the fingers it slide freely upwardly over the surface of the collar. In Fig. I? the position of the collar on the bottle is illustrated after the transfer frame has been completely removed.

The openings l3 through the transfer units accommodate the top portions of the bottles during the downward movement of the transfer frame and these openings are preferably flared outwardly toward their lower ends, as best shown in Fig. 9,'to accommodate the bulging portion of the bottle shoulder just below its neck. The tapered openings also act as centering guides to insure proper registration of each hottle with its corresponding transfer unit.

Another advantage of the resilient inserts 28 is that theyv insure contact with each of the several topmost collars of the stacks on the rack. Thus if one stack should be slightly higher or lower than the rest, the resiliency of the inserts compensates for the difference and each transfer unit always picks up one collar from each stack on the rack.

By the foregoing description of the manner in which a single collar is applied to a bottle, it may readily be seen that with a stack of bottle collars arranged on each of the pins 26 of the rack an operator standing alongside a conveyor where cases of bottles are passing may simply grasp the transfer frame by its handles 1 I, bring it downwardly over the rack to receive a dozen collars at a time and then by pressing the transfer frame downwardly over the bottles in the case the entire dozen collars will be quickly applied to the bottles in the case. In bringing the frame downwardly over the case, the tapered corner members H on the transfer frame first enter-the top of the case and assist in effecting accurate registry of the several units with the respective bottles in the case.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for applying paper collars to bottles, the collars being in the form of fiat blanks with elongated slots to receive the bottle necks, which comprises, a holder for a stack of collars having a pin insertable through the collar slots and larger than the width of the slots to cause the collars to bend downwardly, and transfer means to remove the collars one at a time from the stack and to transfer a removed collar to a bottle.

2. An apparatus for applying paper collars to bottles, the collars being in the form of flat blanks with elongated slots to receive the bottle necks, which comprises, a holder for a stack of collars having a pin insertable through the collar slots and larger than the width of the slots to cause the collars to bend downwardly, transfer means to remove the collars one at a time from the stack and to transfer a removed collar to a bottle, and means on the transfer means for holding the removed collar in its bent position.

3. In an apparatus for applying perforated paper blanks to bottle necks to serve as bottle collars, means to hold a stack of blanks, and atransfer member comprising, a body member adapted to surround a bottle neck, tacky surfaces on said member to engage and lift a blank from said stack, and a plurality of resilient finger like members on the transfer member engageable with the exterior of a blank carried by the transfer member to hold the blank in a preformed position for reception by a bottle.

4. In an apparatus for applying perforated paper blanks to bottle necks to serve as bottle collars, means to hold a stack of blanks, and a transfer member comprising, a body member adapted to surround a bottle neck, tacky surfaces on said member to engage and lift a blank from said stack, and. resilient fingers on the transfer member to engage and preform the blank for reception by a bottle.

5. A transfer member for removing perforated paper blanks from a stack and depositing them over bottle necks to form bottle collars comprising, a body member with a vertical opening for reception of a bottle neck, tacky surfaces on the bottom of said member to engage and retain the topmost blank on the stack, and resilient fingers depending from the bottom of the body member to engage and bend the blank to a shape for application to the bottle.

6. Apparatus for applying perforated paper blanks to cased bottles to serve as collars thereon comprising, a rack to support stacks of blanks in spaced relation corresponding to the spacing of bottles in a case, a transfer member, and means on the transfer member to engage and remove a single blank from each stack and to release said blanks when the transfer member is lowered over a case of bottles.

7. Apparatus for applying perforated paper blanks to cased bottles to serve as collars thereon comprising, a rack to support blanks in stacks spaced to correspond to the spacing of bottles in a case, means on the rack to hold the blanks in curved position for ready application to bottles, a transfer member adapted to be lowered over the rack, means on the transfer member to lift a single blank from each stack, and means on the transfer member to hold the lifted blanks in their curved positions and to release the blanks when the transfer member is lowered over a case of bottles and the blanks are engaged with the bottle necks.

WALTER L. WOLFORD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,875,110 Myers Aug. 30, 1932 1,971,576 Nelson Aug. 28, 1934 2,068,107 Nygard Jan. 19, 1937 2,158,527 Rose May 16, 1939 

